332 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ April 23, 1885. 
than forty years ago. In that fine old and very rare boob, “ Hales EdeD,” 
published in 1757, is to be found an account of the Nonpareil Daffodil, 
and a full-sized engraving of it is given in plate 41. This is indisputably 
like the Sir Watkin Daffodil. 
“ Mr. Pickstone lays no claim to having raised the Sir "Watkin Daffodil 
from seed. He states that he found it growing in a garden he became 
possessed of in a mining district in Merionethshire about seventeen years 
ago. How it got there he does not know. He found it there, recognised 
its beauty, and kept it to himself until he had a very large stock, and he 
deserved the profit he gained by its sale. It is thus clear that we really 
know nothing of its origin, and it is likely enough that it may be found 
elsewhere if search is made for it.” 
YOUNG GARDENERS. 
I DO not believe that as a class young gardeners have at all degene¬ 
rated either professionally, morally, or otherwise; in fact I believe the 
present state of horticulture and the requirements of employers render it 
impossible for any young man to attain anything like eminence in his 
profession without working hard both head and hands. Still I should 
think every reader of your valuable Journal, whether young gardeners or 
others, must feel grateful to “ H., Notts,” for his well-meant advice, if 
only for the sake of the correspondence it has called forth, and to your 
Journal, too, as the medium through which it has passed. Mr. Buchanan’s 
letter is excellent, but I would go further even than he does, and say 
however charitable it may be in one person to offer the benefit of his 
experience to those who need and are inclined to profit by it, it is almost, 
if not quite, impossible for one to mark out a line of conduct for another. 
—S. B. 
SAVING HEAT IN OUTSIDE PIPES. 
I had some time since to put hot-water pipes into two houses in my 
garden, and as they were situated in the open in the pleasure ground I 
could not put the furnace at either house, but bad to fix it in a building 
about 12 feet from the nearest and 26 feet from the furthest. 
I proposed to run the pipes underground from the boiler to the near 
house, with a branch off to the second, but the person who was to put 
them up protested strongly against the loss of heat that would be sustained 
in passing through the cold wet ground. Having had some experience in 
packing steam pipes I laughed at him, and asked him to put up his pipes 
as planned, and leave the rest to me. As soon as this was finished I built 
a brick pit 3 feet wide, 18 inches high at the front, 24 inches high at 
the back, covered it with lights over the short pipes, and have a most 
useful pit, utilising all the heat that would otherwise be lost. 
The other pipe ran under a walk, which I could not divert, and I could 
not therefore build more pit, but simply made a trough of rough lj-inch 
elm board (of no use for any other purpose) around the pipe, leaving the 
top board off. I then procured some tow refuse from a sacking factory 
(which material is practically of no value for anything else), packed 
the trough all round the pipes as tightly as I could, and nailed down the 
cover board. The tow refuse is a capital non-conductor, and so far as 
my opinion goes the experiment has been a complete success, my 
friend’s prophecy that I would lose all the heat having not been verified. 
—LAIESTOWlL 
MANAGEMENT OP HORTICULTURAL SOCIETIES. 
As might have been anticipated, Mr. Waterman failed to convey a 
satisfactory answer why the localising of four classes out of 222 is a 
discredit to the Liverpool gardeners. In support of his assertion your 
correspondent quotes the result of last year’s competition, which is cal¬ 
culated to convey a wrong impression. Undoubtedly the majority of the 
prizes for vegetables at the Sefton Park Show were won by local exhi¬ 
bitors, but we were not told the cause of this success. It wa9 not because 
the local growers defeated visitors, but the latter were not sufficiently 
numerous to be represented in more than four classes, in three of which 
they were first, and in the other second, the latter being for six dishes of 
Peas. The chief difficulty is, however, in the collections of vegetables, 
where Carrots, Onions, and French Beans must play an important part, 
but are so bad to get here approaching exhibition form. French Beans 
are not difficult to grow, but in the open ground they come in rather too 
late for our show. 
It is somewhat remarkable that in treating this subject Mr. Waterman 
never touched on Rose societies, the culture of the Rose being a specialty 
in the garden of which Mr. Waterman has charge. I will briefly notice 
the Wirral Rose Society. The majority of the classes in this schedule are, 
very properly, on the local principle ; still there are ample classes in the 
open section for those who choose to compete therein. Now, to my 
knowledge, at the last three shows of this Society Mr. Waterman has been 
a competitor, but not in the open classes, of which he is so strong an 
advocate, but invariably in the local classes. Why is this? If Mr. 
Waterman admits he could not compete on equal terms in the open 
classes I am willing to believe him, but certainly he should be more 
charitable to local exhibitors of vegetables and hardy fruits, which are as 
difficult to cultivate here as the Rose. 
I must remind “Northerner” I did not state that the cultivation of 
vegetables in the neighbourhood had arrived at its climax, but that the 
improvement had not been sufficiently marked to hold out hopes of equal¬ 
ling the productions of more favoured localities. I am supported in this 
view by many good vegetable growers and all-round gardeners, including 
Mr. W. Mease of Wyncote, and Mr. W. Tunnington of Calderstones ; the 
latter once remarking to me, “ It’s no use ; we cannot do it; ” but still 
Mr. Waterman and “Northerner” say we can; therefore I shall only 
express the hope of many, that your correspondents will illustrate their 
confidence in a practical manner at our forthcoming exhibition on 
August 1st.—A. R. Cox. 
I beg to correct “Northerner’s” statement (page 314) as to the 
Shrewsbury Society, in which he states “ If my memory serves me rightly 
two or three classes only are open,” whereas the summer exhibition for 
the present year the first ninety-eight classes are open to all as to district, 
sixty-seven being open—two for gentlemen’s gardeners only, and twenty- 
nine for amateurs only. The entrance fees are for the entire schedule 
10s. 6d., and 2s. 6d. for each of the following sections—cut flower, fruit, 
and vegetable. Any person who cultivates his own garden or employs 
a gardener only occasionally, and does not grow for sale, will be con¬ 
sidered an amateur. The rest of the schedule is devoted to cottagers, 
which includes forty-eight classes, six prizes being offered in each class 
in the vegetable and fruit sections, and four prizes for each of the flower 
and plant classes. In the year 1883 the whole of the spring schedule 
was restricted to Salop and Montgomeryshire, and about six classes of 
the summer show. 
The restrictive classes of the Liverpool Horticultural Association are 
open to exhibitors within ten miles radius of Liverpool, not of the 
Exchange, as might be possibly understood from your correspondent. It 
is with great satisfaction I note Mr. A. R. Cox “ readily admits that 
considerable improvement has been perceptible in the local exhibits at 
the last two or three shows,” which is sufficient to justify that no radius- 
should be required for Liverpool, more than Manchester, Edinburgh, 
York, or Shrewsbury, who generously throw open the whole of their 
schedules, and the three first-named free. Liverpool has only had one 
open schedule, which was last year.—R. G. Waterman. 
AURICULAS AT GREAT GEARIES. 
For several years Mr. James Douglas has been giving close attention 
to raising new varieties of Auriculas, and by adopting a systematic 
crossing of the older varieties to effect a special purpose he has succeeded 
in adding several handsome forms to the best of the Show type. It 
appears probable that most of the earlier varieties of Auriculas were 
simply chance seedlings—that is, seed was saved from good plants, and 
from their progeny the be3t were selected, or when crossing was under¬ 
taken it was without having any definite object in view. Such is Mr. 
Douglas’s opinion, and he has proved that methodical crossing in Auriculas, 
as in other plants and the animal kingdom, is productive of the most 
satisfactory results. All the crosses made are distinguished by numbers, 
every plant from the same cross bearing the same number until it is 
proved, when if found worthy, it receives a name. The numbers, with 
the corresponding parentage of each cross, are entered in a book, and as 
the plants flower their respective merits are described. This is a most 
interesting record, many remarkable facts having been observed in the 
course of the experiments, which it is hoped Mr. Douglas may some day 
give in detail for the instruction of hybridist®. 
So highly developed is the Auricula of the florist that it might be 
thought there is little room for farther advance, yet the contrary has been 
proved by the Ilford novelties, several of which are annually awarded 
certificates at the metropolitan exhibitions. As an example of these, we 
have selected the variety Mabel (fig. 61), which was shown at the National 
Auricula Society’s (Southern) Exhibition in 1881, when it was awarded 
a prize as the best grey-edged Auricula, and another as the best Auricula 
of any class in the Exhibition. It was obtained from a cross between 
Chapman’s Marie and Douglas’s Silvia, the latter being the seed parent, 
and is distinguished by its good robust habit and handsome flowers, the 
body colour being a deep maroon, the past e very solid and pure, and the 
edge even. 
Many others of equally fine quality could be named. Thus in 1882 
Mr. Douglas obtained certificates for four varieties—Jumbo, green-edged, 
Mrs. Moore, grey-edged, Ada Hard wiage, and Princess of Wales, Alpines. 
In 1883 and 1884 several more were similarly honoured; still, others have 
been added this year, and we may yet expect many more beautiful 
varieties. 
THE STEM ROOTS OF LILIUM AURATUM, 
During the past ten or twelve years this Japanese Lily has become 
very popular in this country, and is regarded by the majority of 
cultivators as the finest of all Lilies. Perhaps this is the case, but I can¬ 
not help thinking that it does not surpass for usefulness that grand old 
inhabitant of our gardens Lilium candidum. This is not to be despised 
with its towering flower stems 5 to 6 feet high, and sometimes more in a 
genial home, with from twelve to eighteen fully expanded flowers. It 
never fails either when grown and forced in a pot or planted outside, but 
the same cannot be said of L. auratum, for which the foremost place 
